The Irishman’s sensational performance lifted him into a four-stroke lead at six under, with Lyle and Graham among his nearest rivals. On day one of the Championship, O’Connor carded a remarkable 10 birdies – including an Open record of seven in a row – as he went round in 64 to set a new benchmark at Royal St George’s. Lyle claimed the prize everyone craved, but another player was responsible for the most spectacular individual round of the week. Unfortunately for the reigning Masters champion, his ball slipped just past the hole, ensuring Lyle was victorious. Langer’s hopes looked slim when he also missed the green with his second shot, but he then produced a superb chip that looked like it could find the cup. He and Graham both required a birdie at the last to force a play-off, with the latter failing in that mission as he found a greenside bunker before splashing out short of the pin. For now, all he could do was wait.Ī perennial contender at Open Championships through the 1980s, Langer came painfully close to forcing a play-off with Lyle. Lyle duly two-putted for par to hold on to the lead at two over. Within moments, however, he received a huge boost when the scoreboard updated to show that Langer and Graham had both bogeyed the 16th. Lyle then came up short with his chip and sank to his knees in despair as his ball rolled back towards him, leaving a lengthy par putt. Holding a one-shot lead over Graham and Langer, the 27-year-old was left with a tricky up-and-down for par from the left-hand rough.
Lyle was forced to endure a rollercoaster of emotions on the tough 18th hole before he could celebrate his maiden major triumph. However, crucial birdies at the 14th and 15th lifted the home favourite back to the top of the leaderboard and he could afford a bogey at the last as the final pairing of Graham and Bernhard Langer each dropped shots over the difficult homeward stretch. Lyle looked to have left himself too much to do when he lost three strokes to Graham on day three, before failing to make up significant ground for much of the final round. Strong winds and a challenging layout made scoring tough throughout the week, with Lyle and David Graham the only players under par at the halfway stage. Lyle, who had been in attendance at The Open as an 11-year-old when Tony Jacklin won at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1969, delighted the crowd by coming from behind over the closing holes to secure a hugely popular victory.
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